17' Old Town Serial#134206

[kdullagh]

My Mother In-law has a Old Town canoe that she has had since she was a teenager. I told her that I would try to find out more about it and what it is worth. Your video was very helpful by informing me the the numbers I found was actually the serial number and length of the canoe. Serial#134206.

She is interested in putting the canoe up for sale, but we have no idea what to sale it for.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

 

[Kathryn Klos]

Greetings--

Old Town 134206 is a 17 foot CS (common sense or mid-grade) Otca model canoe that was completed November 1941-August 1942. It has open spruce gunwales, ash decks, thwarts and seat frames and a keel. Originally it was painted dark green. It was shipped to Korte Bros. Inc. in Fort Wayne, Indiana on March 4 of what appears to be either 1943 or 1945-- there's a smudge on the record. All the canoes around it were shipped in 1942 but this one got its keel installed in August of '42 so could not have shipped in March of that year. The shipping date is generally considered to be the canoe's "birthday" but as you can see it was built in '41-'42. This is significant because it was likely constructed before the supply of brass tacks and caning materials ran out, so probably doesn't have the steel fasteners that "war era" canoes do.

Image of the scan of this record is attached below-- click on it to get a larger image.

This scan and several hundred thousand others were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. A description of the project to preserve these records is available athttp://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.

It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description doesn't match your canoe. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions.

Kathy

 

[Kathryn Klos]

As to "value", here is a good discussion:

http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?57-How-much-is-my-old-wooden-canoe-worth

Feel free to post pictures and ask more questions. Best of luck re-homing your mother-in-law's canoe.

Kathy

 

[kdullagh]

Thank you for your quick response. The information looks correct. I am attaching some picture for you to see the canoe. Do you have any suggestion as to where I can find out what it might be worth.

 

[Hummy]

Where is the boat located?

 

[kdullagh]

It is located near Ft Wayne, IN